


Love is But a Fickle Thing

by tenacioussurrender



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 18:32:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17048405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenacioussurrender/pseuds/tenacioussurrender
Summary: Set around season 7 on Voltron's way back to Earth.Lance doesn't have much time to mourn Allura's short-lived relationship with him before he's being dragged off to see a sunset with Keith.





	Love is But a Fickle Thing

**Author's Note:**

> As we are all aware, season 8 sucked. It was pretty disappointing, but it did give us the great sunset scene. I stole a bit of that scene and added it to a work I started a while back. Hope you all enjoy!

“You don’t love me.”

It’s not a question, not an accusation. Just an understanding. A realization. This wasn’t the first time he considered such a thing. In fact, he thinks he had known all along. Somehow he always ended up the placeholder in other people’s lives.

“I’m so sorry,” She implores, her voice lower than usual and thick with hurt.

“Don’t be,” He answers, waving a hand through the air as he desperately attempts to hold back tears.

She calls his name as he turns to go.

“Its okay, Allura, I understand.”

He doesn’t.

He thinks its always been this way. Somehow, he’s always been this conundrum of too much and yet nowhere near enough for other people. He gives and he gives and he gives and now he’s not so sure there’s much left for anyone else to take.

He trudges through the thick grass on his way back to his and Hunk’s shared tent. The planet of Arlenexia is a beautiful pitstop, almost like a tease of what’s to come when they finally reach Earth. It’s been quite a long journey already, likely around three Earth months. Thankfully their lions were strong, or else they likely would have been stranded long ago. Unfortunately, the lions cannot persevere forever and require breaks now and again.

Lance passes Pidge and Hunk who are set around a crackling fire and are techno-babbling in a language far beyond Lance’s intelligence. He keeps his head low until he reaches the tent. He falls face first onto the blankets and grumbles about missing the beds from the castle of lions. He silently cries, the sheets around his face gathering the moisture.

He rolls onto his side and pauses in his sniffling. He can hear Keith and his mom from the next tent over. He’s happy for Keith, really he is, but he can’t help but be jealous. He’s felt pretty lonely for a while now, even when he and Allura were together. He always knew he’d never measure up to the white-haired prince that broke the princess’s heart, even if he ended up being a psycho murderer.

“I’m worse than a psycho murderer,” he whispers to himself, snorting at just how ridiculous he truly is.

He suddenly hears something just outside the front flap of his tent. A black nose tentatively peeks from behind one of the flaps and Lance gasps, slowly searching the ground for a weapon.  
Lance yelps as Keith's wolf pounces on top of him.

“Quiznak, you scared me,” he whisper-shouts, patting the creature on its soft head.

“Hey, at least you probably won’t judge me for being a loser.”

The lick in response has Lance softly giggling. He wipes his tear stained face on his shirt and feels a nudge. He drops the shirt and looks up at the animal in front of him to find Keith staring from the entrance of the tent.

“Uh sorry about him, he’s still kinda learning when it comes to boundaries,” Keith says, rubbing his hand up and down his arm.

“Must get it from me,” Lance remarks, dejectedly.

Keith smiles softly and blurts out, “He actually reminds me of you.”

Lance’s face droops even further. _Glad he thinks I’m a dog._

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Obviously.” Keith backtracks, surprised at the honest hurt painted on his teammate’s face.

“Obviously,” Lance repeats, looking anywhere but the boy standing before him.

Keith knows enough about social cues to know when he’s not wanted. He bends down and picks the wolf up. He goes to leave Lance’s tent but turns with the dog in his arms.

“Sorry again, Lance.”

With that, the tent flaps close and Lance falls back onto his pillow. He clenches his eyes tightly shut as tears race down his face. His eyes slowly open again at the sound of arguing coming from next to him. What could Keith and Krolia possibly be arguing about? He doesn’t have the time to answer his own question before the flaps to his tent are being opened again to Keith’s bashful face.

“Hey Lance, I was wondering if-” Keith stops short when he notices the tears Lance is frantically trying to hide.

“Yeah what’s up buddy?” Lance asks nonchalantly as he sits up and places a hand on his hip.

“Uh- well I was just thinking maybe we could go watch the sunset on the cliff over there,” Keith suggests, motioning behind himself.

“Sure, why not?” Lance says, completely ignoring the mental breakdown he just had moments before.

Keith nods his head and backs out of the tent holding the flap so Lance can follow. Stiffly, the gangly boy follows behind. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and droops his head towards the grassy ground. Shuffling his feet across the ground, he mutely follows behind Keith.

Lance can see Allura ahead of them, still standing where he left her. Before he even has the chance to clench up and tell Keith he can’t do this, the other boy is already moving in a different direction towards a grove of orange-leaved trees with black trunks. They almost looked like sunsets themselves.

Keith continues onwards, continuously glancing behind himself to check that Lance is still following him. Every time he looks back, the more upset Lance seems to look. It shouldn’t be much further. He thinks trudging further.

Lance is about to whine and ask how much longer when they finally reach the spot. Lance’s mouth drops open and his eyes shoot to Keith’s. Keith has a soft smile on his face as he looks away from Lance to sit at the edge of the cliff. He pats a gloved hand on the ground next to him. After a few delayed seconds, Lance clamors to sit on the soft grass next to Keith.

“Wow, Keith, this is amazing!” Lance shouts, sadness almost forgotten.

Keith hums, his eyes stuck on the vast landscape before them. The valley looks like something only possible in a dream. The orange and red trees are so dense and far below that they look like waving grass reflecting a sunset like no other. Arlenexia’s sun before them is brilliant. It’s incredibly close and huge in the purple sky. As it slowly begins it’s descent, Keith finds his gaze falling on Lance.

Lance can feel Keith’s eyes on him and turns to face him.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to...but why were you crying earlier?” Keith asks softly, his voice a whisper.

Lance laughs self-deprecatively and looks towards the valley.

“Allura and I broke up I guess. It was dumb of me to think she would have wanted to be with someone like me in the first place.” Lance shrugs, reaching a hand up to tug at his hair.

“Lance...who wouldn’t want to be with you? Even stupid, earth-obsessed you?” He asks, gentle smile painted on his face.

His skin reflects the sun in warm, golden rays. He reaches over and grabs Lance’s hand that had been tangled in his hair. Lance gasps, eyes slowly raising from their hands up to Keith’s glowing face.

“Lance, you’re the red paladin. You’ve always got my back. And you always know exactly who you are and what you have to offer.” Keith’s thumb traces the top of Lance’s hand in gentle circles. He quirks an eyebrow at the dumbstruck look on the former blue paladin’s face.

“Keith, do you mean that?” Lance whispers, voice shaky.

“With all of my heart,” Keith replies, vacant hand reaching up to caress Lance’s cheek.

As Lance reaches over to hug Keith, the older boy realizes just how much Krolia is going to say _I told you so_. He can’t wait.


End file.
